Report 1710
Report #1710 Skillset: Druidry Skill: Sap Org: Glomdoring Status: Approved Jun 2017 Furies' Decision: To be addressed in October. Problem: A good portion of the design space within Druidry is invested in mechanics that are either dated or overly situational. However, it is hard to argue the efficiency of Thornrend or the hindering of our current dust stack on their own while every ability in the toolkit must be simultaneously considered through the lens of using it alongside Sap in teams. This results in the effectiveness of Druidry hinging entirely on a single niche ability that takes a very particular set of circumstances to use. We will never be able to balance Druidy both in situations where a team can leverage Sap -and- in the far more common situations where they cannot. 7 R: 5 Solution #1: To free up the design space within Druidry and allow for more effective tools to be developed in future Envoy rounds, remove Sap as a skill. While this might seem extreme, the changes to Paralysis and approved mechanics changes to Aeon have already sounded a death knell for delaying inputs as a mechanic. It would be better for the class long term to begin the process of shifting away now. 1 R: 9 Solution #2: Convert Sap to a timed state affliction that, with an investment of power, covers the target with a sticky fluid that captures pollen and dramatically increases the effectiveness and build up rate of allergens on the target. The allergy mechanic is unique to Druidry and has the potential to be leveraged as a replacement to the hindering lost with the changes to Dust afflictions. 1 R: 9 Solution #3: Convert Sap to a timed state affliction that, with an investment of power, covers the target with a sticky fluid that captures pollen and increases the effectiveness and build up rate of allergens on all other enemies in the room. While not as directly hindering as a single target allergy increase would be, it could be balanced such to give more tactical options against large teams and force counterplay. Player Comments: ---on 6/12 @ 02:28 finalises ---on 6/12 @ 15:02 writes: Not sure how I feel about this. Yes, sap needs to go, yes, it's sooner then later, but we do have a druidry special report to my knowledge and I think that druids will find themselves even more lacking in terms of toolkit, so... no to solution 1 for now. Solution two or three are... what exactly is the difference? ---on 6/12 @ 18:40 writes: Can only support solution 1, since I don't really understand what impact sol 2 or 3 would have. ---on 6/12 @ 23:07 writes: While I'm in favour of removing Sap, I'd also prefer a specific plan for a replacement. That said, I'll defer to the Druids if they're fine with just removing now. ---on 6/12 @ 23:18 writes: Solution 1 only. Let druidry special report focus on replacing sap. ---on 6/13 @ 01:59 writes: I do think that Sap is bordering on useless now such that it's "safe" mechanically to delete it now more than any other time since I've started playing, so in that sense I support solution 1. That said I share the concern that we're just going to lop it off call it a job well done and then it will be ages before a replacement comes. I will also say that special reports are not magic, at some point we have to think about what is going to replace sap. It's incredibly easy to put this off and say that we'll let the special report take care of it, but if we never put any thought into it we will be left in the same position when the special report does come, barring of course the possibility that there is a person in the administration who has a brilliant idea that we will all instantly fall in love with and rally behind. ---on 6/13 @ 12:40 writes: Solution 1. I'm confident the druid envoys won't let us forget to replace it, but now really is the best time to kill it. ---on 6/14 @ 16:32 writes: Sol 1 ---on 6/14 @ 22:43 writes: Ok. ---on 6/16 @ 22:12 writes: Please do solution 1 as the basis for a special report on fixing druidry, or as a concerted plan with Seren/Glom envoys submitting the reports for all of the replacements in the same month ---on 6/17 @ 00:37 writes: Voting no on all of these solutions because there is a Melding/Druidry/Crow special report already in the works and I do not agree with just nixing Sap outside the report. I will further point out that the removal of Sap is one of the big reasons for Druidry being part of that special report. Sap should go, but it should go with a plan, not just be torn out. ---on 6/19 @ 08:10 writes: Voting no as per my above comments and my own. ---on 6/19 @ 17:49 writes: Voting no in agreement with previous comments. While I understand that now is the 'safest,' time we've had to delete sap, the notion of removing it without doing anything to replace it just rankles. It seems unnecessary in the best case and potentially hindering in the worst.